We recently got to take the chance to try out the Grilla Grill and we were impressed with the overall construction and how easy it is to use. To give you an idea of how it works and the features we like, we will compare it side-by-side with a fan-favorite pellet smoker from Traeger. These two products have a lot in common which makes for an ideal comparison.
Grilla Grill Silverbac AT Alpha Connect Pellet Grill
The Grilla Grill AT Alpha Connect is the newest design that incorporates the latest technology available with tried-and-true construction and reliable performance to ensure you get consistent results every time you fire it up. At a glance, the Grilla Grill looks similar to many other pellet grill designs so we will get under the lid and show you what makes the Grilla Grill special.
All-Terrain Design
The Grilla Grill Silverbac is designed for go-anywhere pellet smoking. It features a rugged steel chassis and oversized, solid-rubber wheels that have integrated ball bearings for smooth and effortless movement. The pellet smoker is designed to roll easily over gravel, snow, sand, and curbs, and it makes getting it out of a trailer or truck bed simple and easy.
The wagon-style pull makes it easy to move the pellet grill from one place to another without worrying about burning yourself, tipping it over, or getting stuck. The pull is a unique addition that we haven’t seen before and it seriously improves moving the pellet smoker around.
Comparing Grilla to Traeger
The Traeger uses a simple, four-leg base with large wheels on one end and smaller wheels on the other. The system works fine as long as you are moving the smoker around on concrete, but as soon as you get it into soft stuff, it gets to be more troublesome to move around. We usually try to keep our Traeger on solid ground, which means it doesn’t move around very much.
An additional aspect of the Gorilla Grill we like is the integrated tray at the base. It makes for a great catch-all spot for a variety of accessories and tools and ensures that the legs are in balance all the time so there is no flexing. The integrated tray helps keep the Grilla Grill stable when you’re moving it around.
The Pellet Hopper
The Grilla Grill Silverbac AT has a large, 20-pound hopper for holding pellets. The pellet hopper includes an integrated pellet dump so that you can easily swap out one type of pellet for another when you are switching between different types of proteins. The heavy-duty steel hopper has a stainless-steel hopper cover that works well for a miniature shelf.
The Traeger hopper is slightly similar in design, but still holds 18-pounds. Newer models have a pellet dump feature to make cleaning out the hopper easier.
The Cooking Chamber and Fire Pot Design
The Grilla Grills Silverbac models use a 14-gauge steel body that is double-walled, welded, and sealed to provide optimal thermal efficiency. The design helps the smoker hold a constant temperature even when external temps are freezing cold. The overall design is professional and ensures great results.
The smoker uses a smokestack on the right-hand side of the smoker opposite of the firebox. The design allows smoke to circulate naturally through the body of the smoker to fully enshroud food in smoke while giving you control over temperatures. This design is prone to hot spotting caused by the difference in the temperature of the air at the firebox versus the exhaust side, which tends to be hotter.
In comparison, the Traeger uses a downdraft exhaust system that is much more complex. This design forces the smoke to circulate from top to bottom and left to right before it vents off. The downdraft design helps to create more stable temperatures and can even speed up your cook times.
The Grilla Grill uses a conventional fire pot design and auger system to feed pellets from the hopper into the fire pot. The system seems well-built from quality materials. The design is very similar to the fire pot and auger system used by Traeger and both function very well.
The Temperature Control Systems
Alpha Connect is a Wi-Fi-enabled controlling system that is standard on Silverbac grills. The controller allows you to connect your phone to the smoker so you can remotely check temperatures, change cycles, and monitor the level of fuel available. Temperature is controllable in five-degree increments from 180 to 500 degrees.
The Alpha Connect controller has a new feature called TempTamer. This innovative technology recognizes when the smoker's lid is opened and increases the burn rate to reduce heat loss. The tech helps to significantly reduce temperature swings when you open the lid to baste, flip, or check the meat.
Traeger includes the D2 Digital Controller that allows the user to easily set the temperature with the spin of a dial. This design works great, it is highly accurate and very reliable. Coupled with Traeger’s WiFire system, the controller offers remote control from your phone that lets you adjust settings and even access thousands of Traeger recipes.
Cooking on the Grilla Grill
Using the Grilla Grill is a pleasurable experience. It lights quickly and easily when you follow the manufacturer's suggested procedure. It hit the target temperature quickly and held it with no problem. We tried out a few of our favorite recipes and compared them to our impressions of using our Traeger for the same things.
Smoke penetration was excellent and the flavor was top-notch. Most of our recipes took about the same amount of time to cook as when using the Traeger and both have similar flavor when using the same type of pellets, indicating that both the Traeger and the Grilla Grill optimize smoke flavor and maintain temperature well.
The one difference that we noticed was the sturdiness of the cart. The Traeger has never struck us as flimsy, but the Grilla Grill is on a different level. The oversize rubber wheels make it easy to move around, even rolling over cords and hoses on the way to our favorite smoking spot. The tray at the base was a great spot for at-hand accessories and gives the smoker a built-like-a-tank feel.
Final Thoughts on Grilla Grills vs Traeger
The Grilla Grill AT Alpha Connect is a great option for pellet smokers. It has a sturdy build and quality construction that we think will hold up to lots of abuse for a good, long time. Everything from the heavy-gauge lid ot the sturdy cart indicate a high-quality grill. The digital controller and built-in Wi-Fi make it a snap to monitor temperatures and get the perfect results.
We had few complaints about the Grilla Grill. If there was one thing that we would point out, it is the less-efficient smoke stack exhaust design as compared to the downdraft exhaust used by Traeger. There is nothing wrong with the exhaust system and it works excellently, it just isn’t as fancy.
The mark of a good smoker or grill is when you catch yourself thinking about random things you’d like to cook and we did find ourselves thinking about ribs, roasts, and chicken on the Grilla Grill Silverback several times after using one for the first time.
| Model | Fuel Type | Hopper Size | Capacity | Weight | Controller Type | Connectivity | Built-in Temp Probe | Price |
|
Grilla Grill Silverbac AT Alpha Connect |
Pellet | 20 lb | 692 sq. in. | 170 lb | Digital | Wi-Fi | Yes | $$ |
| Traeger Ironwood 885 | Pellet | 18 lb | 850 sq. in. | 175 lb | Digital | Wi-Fi | Yes | $$$ |
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